Department of Psychological Sciences

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• Are you subscribed to our department Alumni Newsletter? Read through our newsletter to learn more about student and faculty accomplishments this semester. https://mailchi.mp/abcdd06c8ef7/ynf0equ2j0 read more

  07/02/2020 03:51 pm

• Sarah Baker, Ph.D. USD, 2011-2015 1. Describe your current position and the academic path you took in order to get there? I recently graduated with my Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from The Rockefeller University in New York City where I focused my thesis work on discovering how blood proteins regulate the chronic neuroinflammation characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. I am now transitioning to a career in medical communications and I am working at a medical education agency that specializes in creating different types of science communications materials throughout the course of the development of a drug. The field is extremely fast paced, making it a fun and challenging space to be in. I am learning a lot every day. 2. Can you describe the psychology oriented research projects you are (were) involved in? As a double major in both Biochemistry and Psychology while at USD, most of my research out of the classroom was related to chemistry and I worked in a physical chemistry lab where I studied optical properties of nanocrystals. However, the research methods courses that I took as part of the Psychology curriculum helped me to figure out how to ask good questions and how to rigorously evaluate my methods in order to make sure I was approaching my research properly. For example, in the research methods course with Dr. Wanic we practiced how to write an IRB application. This practice helped me a lot during graduate school because I had to fill out several IRB protocols for my research! These are skills that I carried with me into graduate school. 3. How did your undergrad education at USD prepare you for your advanced studies? When I first started at USD, the Behavioral Neuroscience major did not exist. I knew that I was interested in science, but during my first semester I took an Intro to Psychology course with Stephen Pearlberg and I fell in love with psychology as well. At that point, I decided to merge my interests in basic science and psychology by double majoring in both Biochemistry and Psychology to create my own sort of Neuroscience major. The liberal arts education at USD, where professors always expressed genuine interest in their students, provided me with a breadth and depth of knowledge that helped throughout my Ph.D. at a rigorous science institution. read more

  06/12/2020 10:25 am

• Mina Ghazizadeh, a Psychology major and a USD soccer player going into her senior year was recently nominated for the Father Owen Mullen Service Award. 1.What did you do to be considered for this award? Being a part of the soccer team really helped me grow as a person and has given me the chance to represent USD in many positive ways. I volunteered at Kit Carson elementary school along with my team during recess and exercised with the kids, whether it was playing soccer or handball or doing chalk art. I also frequented Montgomery middle school for a few weeks shadowing a teacher and assisting her with certain tasks as well as teaching the students about psychology as a science. I would also take notes of the students’ behaviors to connect them with concepts I’ve learned in some of my psych classes. Aside I assembled care packages for the homeless on my free time. Finding different ways to help out those around you is something everyone can always improve on and there are endless options out there. 2. Can you describe your daily routine during the soccer season? While in season, it can get really hectic. I usually eat a small breakfast in the morning because the last thing you want is to train on a full stomach. I’ll typically have one or two morning classes and then head over to training around 11:00 am. If I have a lingering injury I go to the athletic training room before to get some treatment. We train for about 2 hours and head straight to lift for an hour. Ideally, I’ll have time to shower before class but in most cases I don’t. I definitely make sure to grab something to eat on the way to class. I think it’s crucial to eat after a long workout to fuel your body both physically and mentally. After a few more classes I’ll head back home to finally shower and grab dinner with my roommate and do a couple hours of schoolwork. On game days I don’t even get back to my room until around 10:00 pm so it delays my studying and my “YouTube time”. 3. What are your future plans upon graduation? What I’ll do after graduation is still uncertain, but I have some thoughts. I would like to pursue my master’s in psychology and attend more schooling to become a radiation therapist. Another possible path I am thinking of is forensic psychology. I’m super excited about my future and very eager to learn more about either of my choices as they are both really interesting to me. Regardless of the specific direction I take, I want to help individuals and form lasting relationships with the people I work with. read more

  06/09/2020 10:30 am

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